Beyond the Gates star Sean Freeman’s family is in the midst of grief, but even in the midst of loss, there are joyful moments. The actor took to Facebook to share that after the homegoing of his stepmother’s father, he and his brother had a chance encounter with fans of the soap at an unlikely place, a gas station. Their interactions reminded Freeman of how storytelling can bring people together.

Keytakeaways

Fans didn’t immediately recognize Sean Freeman, even with Beyond the Gates playing on the TV
Introducing himself led to an impromptu viewing of the soap and story swapping
Soap fans are everywhere
BTG Has Fans Near And Far
When Freeman pulled up to the gas station with his brother, Ryan, they were headed on their way out of Alabama. They’d been in the state—visiting Grovehill, Jackson, and Gosport—for the funeral service of Willie Clarence Denson, the father of Freeman’s stepmother, Marquita Larossi. Their stop was meant to be a quick one, but when Freeman saw BTG playing on the station’s TV, he took a minute to linger. He was amused, he shared in his Facebook post, that no one recognized him, though he had hoped they would.

After asking a station cashier and cook if they were fans, Freeman told them that he plays Andre Richardson on the soap. The cook was in disbelief, asking, “You look just like Andre! Are you really him?” to which he assured him that he was. She and the cashier couldn’t believe a ‘Hollywood actor’ was in their neck of the woods, but once they clicked on to Freeman being who he claimed to be, the moment blossomed into a memorable one.

Freeman and his brother stuck around to watch some of the episode with the fans. They laughed and shared stories, and the actor even waited for a friend who’d been called so they could meet him. In his post, he said, “It was a humbling and heartwarming experience, man. Moments like these remind me of the joy and connection that storytelling can bring.”

Soap operas are beloved, and their longevity means that generations of families share a bond over tuning in daily to find out what will happen next. BTG is the first opportunity in decades for fans of the genre to watch a soap opera from the beginning and connect over a new entry into this storied tradition, which dates back to radio shows.